World News | COVID-19 During Pregnancy May Increase Obesity Risk in Children: Study
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Children born to mothers who contract COVID-19 during pregnancy may be more likely to develop obesity, according to a new study.
Washington, Mar 30 (PTI) Children born to mothers who contract COVID-19 during pregnancy may be more likely to develop obesity, according to a new study.
More than 100 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States since 2019, and there is limited information on the long-term health effects of the infection.
Also Read | Mumbai 26/11 Terror Attack: Accused Tahawwur Rana Moves US Court for Status Conference.
Pregnant women make up 9 per cent of reproductive-aged women with COVID-19, which exposes millions of babies to maternal infection during foetal development over the next five years.
“Our findings suggest that children exposed in utero to maternal COVID-19 have an altered growth pattern in early life that may increase their risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease over time,” said Lindsay T Fourman, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass.
Also Read | US: Spouses of H1B Visa Holders Can Work in America, Says District Judge.
“There is still a lot of research needed to understand the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their children,” she said.
The researchers studied 150 infants born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy and found they had lower birth weight followed by greater weight gain in the first year of life as compared to 130 babies whose mothers did not have a prenatal infection.
These changes have been associated with an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in childhood and beyond.
“Our findings emphasise the importance of long-term follow-up of children exposed in utero to maternal COVID-19 infection, as well as the widespread implementation of COVID-19 prevention strategies among pregnant individuals,” said Andrea G Edlow, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Larger studies with longer follow-up duration are needed to confirm these associations,” she said.
The study was published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)